Hydrangea plant named &#39;Mother&#39;s Love&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of  Hydrangea macrophylla  named ‘Mother&#39;s Love’ that is characterized by its compact plant habit with tight internodes, its extremely floriferous bloom period, re-blooming through the spring and summer months, its profusion of light pink florets that often crowd out the foliage, and its extreme heat tolerance, regularly tolerating temperatures of  38°  C. in the summer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/176,491 filed Feb. 19, 2015.

LATIN NAME OF GENUS AND SPECIES OF PLANT CLAIMED

Hydrangea macrophylla

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

‘Mother's Love’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofHydrangea macrophylla and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivarname, ‘Mother's Love’. ‘Mother's Love’ represents a new mophead typeHydrangea, a deciduous shrub grown for landscape use and for use as apotted plant.

The new cultivar of Hydrangea arose from a controlled breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Davis, Calif., USA. The Inventor made across in May 2008 between a proprietary plant in the Inventor's breedingprogram coded 060973, as the female parent and a proprietary plant inthe Inventor's breeding program coded 068013 as the male parent. TheInventor selected ‘Mother's Love’ in May 2009, as a single unique plantamongst the seedlings that resulted from the above cross.

Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by theInventor by one and two node tip cuttings in Davis, Calif., in July2009. Asexual propagation by tip stem cuttings has determined that thecharacteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced trueto type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and represent thecharacteristics of the new cultivar. These attributes in combinationdistinguish ‘Mother's Love’ as a unique cultivar of Hydrangea.

1. ‘Mother's Love’ exhibits a compact plant habit with tight internodes.

2. ‘Mother's Love’ exhibits an extremely floriferous bloom period,re-blooming through the spring and summer months.

3. ‘Mother's Love’ exhibits a profusion of light pink florets that oftencrowd out the foliage.

4. ‘Mother's Love’ exhibits extreme heat tolerance, regularly toleratingtemperatures of 38° C. in the summer.

The female parent of ‘Mother's Love’ differs from ‘Mother's Love’ inbeing a lacecap type Hydrangea. The male parent of ‘Mother's Love’differs from ‘Mother's Love’ in having fewer total florets per bloomcycle.

‘Mother's Love’ can be most closely compared to the Hydrangea cultivars‘Endless Summer (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,298) and ‘All Summer Beauty’(not patented). Both cultivars are similar in being re-bloom, mopheadtype Hydrangeas. ‘Endless Summer’ differs from ‘Mother's Love’ in havinga smaller bud count, in being less heat tolerant, in being less vigorousin nursery production, and in being more prone to flopping under normalshade house growing conditions. ‘All Summer Beauty’ differs from‘Mother's Love’ in being less heat tolerant and in having fewer totalflorets per bloom cycle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs show, as nearly true as it is reasonablypossible to make the same in color illustrations of this type, typicalinflorescence and foliage characteristics of the new cultivar. Colors inthe photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed description, which accurately describes the colors of ‘Mother'sLove’. The plants were approximately one-year old and were grown toflowering stage in one-gallon containers for 3 months in West Chicago,Ill.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of the overall growth and flowering habitof ‘Mother's Love’.

FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view of the inflorescence of ‘Mother'sLove’ showing floret color when first open.

FIG. 3 illustrates a close-up view of a fully-open inflorescence of‘Mother's Love’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The new cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that the phenotype mayvary somewhat with variations in the environment, such as temperature,light intensity, and day length, without, however, any variance ingenotype.

The chart used in the identification of colors described herein is TheR.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England,2007 edition, except where general color terms of ordinary significanceare used. The color values were determined in May 2015 under naturallight conditions in West Chicago, Ill.

The following descriptions and measurements describe approximatelyone-year old plants produced from cuttings from stock plants and grownin a greenhouse under conditions comparable to those used in commercialpractice. Plants were pinched when transplanted into a soilless growthmedium in one-gallon containers and maintained under an average daytemperature of 45° F. (7.2° C.) and an average night temperature of 35°F. (1.7° C.). The plants were then grown for three months in WestChicago, Ill. with greenhouse temperatures maintained at approximately60° F. to 65° F. (15.5° C. to 18.3° C.) during the day and approximately55° F. to 60° F. (12.7° C. to 15.5° C.) during the night. Nosupplemental lighting was provided. Measurements and numerical valuesrepresent averages of typical plants.

-   Botanical classification: Hydrangea macrophylla cultivar Mother's    Love.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female parent.—Proprietary Hydrangea macrophylla breeding            selection coded 060973, not patented.        -   Male parent.—Proprietary Hydrangea macrophylla breeding            selection coded 068013, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal stem.        -   Time to initiate roots.—Approximately 14 to 21 days.        -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Approximately 21 to 28            days.        -   Root description.—White dense, medium thickness.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching.-   Plant description:    -   -   Commercial crop time.—Approximately 10 months from a rooted            cutting to finish in an 15 cm pot.        -   Growth habit and general appearance.—Deciduous shrub,            mophead type Hydrangea. Moderately vigorous. Compact with            tight internodes.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 5 (−20° F. to −15° F.).        -   Heat tolerance.—Regularly tolerates temperatures as high as            38° C. in the summer.        -   Size.—Height from soil level to top of plant plane:            Approximately 25.0 cm. Width: Approximately 41.0 cm.        -   Branching habit.—Freely branching. Pinching enhances            branching. Quantity of lateral branches per plant:            Approximately 4.        -   Branch.—Shape: Rounded. Strength: Strong. Length to base of            inflorescence: Approximately 16.0 cm. Diameter:            Approximately 4.0 mm. Length of central internode:            Approximately 7.0 cm. Texture of young stem: Glabrous.            Texture of mature stem: Woody. Color of young stem: 144B.            Color of mature stem: Closest to 199A.        -   Lenticels.—Quantity per internode: Approximately 45. Shape:            Round to elliptic. Size: Approximately 1.0 to 2.0 mm. Color:            N186A.-   Foliage description:    -   -   General description.—Quantity of leaves per lateral branch:            Approximately 8 (4 pairs). Fragrance: None detected. Form:            Simple. Arrangement: Opposite.        -   Leaves.—Aspect: Flat. Shape: Elliptic. Margin: Serrated.            Apex: Acuminate. Base: Cuneate. Venation pattern: Pinnate.            Length of mature leaf: Approximately 15.0 cm. Width of            mature leaf: Approximately 7.0 cm. Texture of upper and            lower surfaces: Coriaceous, glabrous. Color of upper surface            of young foliage: 137A blended with 144A, venation of 145C.            Color of lower surface of young foliage: Closest to but with            more yellow than 138B, venation of 145C. Color of upper            surface of mature foliage: N137A blended with 139A and            tinted with 187A, venation of 147D. Color of lower surface            of mature foliage: Closest to 147B, venation of 145C.        -   Petiole.—Length: Approximately 2.5 cm. Diameter:            Approximately 3.0 mm. Texture: Glabrous. Color: 147C with an            overlay of 187A.-   Flowering description:    -   -   Flowering habit.—Seasonal, May through August.        -   Lastingness of individual inflorescence on the            plant.—Approximately one month.-   Inflorescence description:    -   -   General description.—Type: Terminal globular, mophead,            compound corymb of fertile florets and rotate-shaped,            sterile, sepalous florets borne on the same corymb,            persistent. Sterile florets occasionally have visible            reproductive parts, but lack an ovary. Quantity per plant:            Approximately 4. Fragrance: Slight. Aspect: Face upward and            outward. Height: Approximately 10.0 to 14.0 cm. Width:            Approximately 18.0 cm. Quantity of fertile florets per            inflorescence: Approximately 17. Quantity of sterile florets            per inflorescence: Approximately 150.        -   Peduncle.—Strength: Strong. Shape: Rounded. Length:            Approximately 2.5 cm. Diameter: Approximately 4.0 mm.            Texture: Sparsely pubescent with appressed hairs. Color:            144B with an overlay of 187A.-   Floret description:    -   -   General description.—Type: Single, sterile and fertile.        -   Sterile florets, bud just before opening.—Shape: Globular.            Length: Approximately 3.0 mm. Diameter: Approximately            3.0 mm. Color: 145B with an overlay of 187A on distal end.        -   Sterile florets.—Depth: Approximately 3.0 mm, or 1.0 cm if            reproductive parts observed. Diameter: Approximately 4.0 cm.            Corolla: 4 petals, often closed forming a central eye.            Shape: Rotate, cruciform. Diameter: Approximately 7.0 mm.            Calyx: 4 sepals. Shape: Rotate, cruciform. Diameter:            Approximately 4.0 cm.        -   Petals, sterile florets.—Shape: Ovate when open, otherwise            petals form a center eye of up to 2.0 mm in diameter and 75A            in color. Margin: Entire. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate.            Length: Approximately 3.0 mm. Width: Approximately 2.0 mm.            Texture of upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous. Color of            upper and lower surfaces: NN155A with an overlay of 75A.        -   Sepals, sterile florets.—Shape: Broadly obovate. Margin:            Crenate. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Length:            Approximately 2.0 cm. Width: Approximately 1.5 to 2.0 cm.            Texture of upper and lower surfaces: Glabrous. Color of            upper surface when first open: 145C with an overlay of 75C            that extends from sepal margins to base during development.            Color of lower surface when first open: 145D with an overlay            of 75D that extends from sepal margins to base during            development. Color of upper surface when fully open: 75D            transitioning to base of 75A. Color of lower surface when            fully open: 75D with base and venation of 75B.        -   Pedicel, sterile florets.—Strength: Strong. Aspect:            Approximately 45° from peduncle axis. Length: Approximately            2.5 cm. Diameter: Approximately 1.0 mm. Texture: Sparsely            pubescent with appressed hairs. Color: 77C.        -   Fertile florets, bud just before opening.—Shape: Globular.            Length: Approximately 3.0 mm. Diameter: Approximately            3.0 mm. Color: 75A.        -   Fertile florets.—Depth: Approximately 9.0 mm. Diameter:            Approximately 1.0 cm. Corolla: 4 to 5 petals, often            vestigial. Shape: Rotate. Diameter: Approximately 9.0 mm.            Calyx: Up to 6 vestigial sepals. Shape: Rotate. Diameter:            Approximately 5.0 mm.        -   Petals, fertile florets.—Shape: Ovate. Margin: Entire. Apex:            Acute. Base: Truncate. Length: Approximately 4.0 mm. Width:            Approximately 3.0 mm. Texture of upper and lower surfaces:            Glabrous. Color of upper and lower surfaces: NN155A with an            overlay of 75A.        -   Sepals, fertile florets.—Shape: Ovate. Margin: Serrate.            Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Length: Approximately 2.0 mm.            Width: Approximately 1.0 mm. Texture of upper surface:            Glabrous. Texture of lower surface: Sparsely pubescent.            Color of upper and lower surfaces: 145B with an overlay of            72A.        -   Pedicel, fertile florets.—Strength: Strong. Aspect: Erect.            Length: Approximately 3.0 mm. Diameter: Approximately            1.0 mm. Texture: Sparsely pubescent with appressed hairs.            Color: 77C.        -   Reproductive organs.—Observed in fertile florets and            occasionally in the center of sterile florets, sterile            florets lack an ovary. Androecium: Stamen quantity: 6 to 10            per floret. Stamen length: Approximately 6.0 mm to 9.0 mm.            Filament color: 72B. Anther shape: Kidney-shaped, basally            attached. Anther length: Approximately 1.0 mm. Anther color:            NN155A with an overlay of 72B. Pollen amount: Abundant.            Pollen color: NN155A. Gynoecium: Pistil quantity: 1 per            floret. Pistil length: Approximately 5.0 mm. Stigma shape:            Round. Stigma color: 72B. Style length: Approximately 2.0            mm, three-lobed. Style color: 75A with an overlay of 72B.            Ovary length: Approximately 3.0 mm. Ovary texture: Sparsely            pubescent with appressed hairs. Ovary color: 75A.-   Seed and fruit production: Neither seed nor fruit production has    been observed.-   Disease and pest resistance: Has been observed to be powdery mildew    free under the conditions grown.

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea plantnamed ‘Mother's Love’ substantially as herein illustrated and described.